Staging, technology and magic. Visit to Amazon

What do a 17th-century automaton and a robot in an advanced logistics centre have in common?
 

The public research project El Gesto Digital by Andrea Muniáin and Paula Ramos Mollá, currently in residence at Medialab as part of the Investigación Situada 2026 programme, takes this question as its starting point to explore the historical and contemporary relationships between technology and magic — understanding the magical as an ongoing struggle between concealment and revelation throughout the history of technology.

Andrea Muniáin and Paula Ramos Mollá address these questions through the activity series "Staging, technology and magic", which opens with a visit to Amazon's logistics centre in Illescas, one of the most advanced industrial automation environments currently operating. This is a space where humans and robots coexist in a highly optimised choreography, unfolding a contemporary vision of efficiency, prediction and movement control, powered by state-of-the-art algorithmic and robotic systems.

Beyond a purely technical or corporate perspective, the activity proposes a critical reading that connects these developments to a longer genealogy of automatism. From the automata of the 17th century — conceived as spectacles of ingenuity, wonder and technical prowess — to today's robotic systems, automation has always been tied to a theatrical dimension: demonstrating that the machine "comes to life", that movement can be programmed, repeated and optimised.

In this sense, Amazon's robots can be read as contemporary heirs to the automaton theatres: devices that, beneath the promise of efficiency and technical neutrality, conceal complex political, economic and social decisions. The visit will give us a chance to reflect on how these systems are transforming the relationship between gesture, labour and the body, and on how the spectacle of automation helps to naturalise increasingly opaque and inaccessible production models.

The visit will also be a moment for shared reflection and conceptual groundwork. During the visit, Andrea and Paula will present the research work currently underway and outline the directions of upcoming public activities, sharing ideas, questions and research strategies.

Practical information

Free activity with mandatory registration, places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis

Meeting point at Matadero (entrance at Paseo de la Chopera 14) at 2:00 pm. Bus departure at 2:15 pm sharp, no exceptions. Return arrival approximately at 6:00 pm at the same location.

Registration form